Victim says men at party forced her into car, drove off, attacked

Police are investigating a reported sexual assault during a party near the San Diego State University campus early Sunday, an incident that focused many students on safety as the weekend ended.

The victim was talking to three men at a party in a house near the intersection of 63rd Street and Montezuma Road between midnight and 1 a.m., according to SDSU police, who are investigating the case with San Diego city police.

The suspects asked the victim to accompany them outside to continue the conversation, and when she did, the victim was forced into the back of a car, police said.

According to police, the suspects then drove to an unspecified location, where two of the three suspects sexually assaulted the victim. After the attack, the victim was returned to the party.

Two of the suspects were described by authorities as black men of college age, and each was about 5 feet 10 inches weighing around 160 pounds, had fit builds and both were wearing white T-shirts and short pants.

The third suspect was described as a black male, and no further description was given.

University police issued an alert about the crime across the community on Sunday.

The SDSU bulletin about the incident included a reminder to students and others to practice basic safety precautions that include being aware of your surroundings, staying away from dimly lit locations and avoiding drinking alcohol to the point of impairment.

San Diego police Sgt. Brian Pennings said no arrests had been made in the case by Sunday evening.

Students on campus Sunday had mixed emotions about the incident. Some said they don’t walk alone past dark on or off campus. Others said they wanted more details before becoming overly concerned.

Maggie Sullivan, a freshman nutrition major at San Diego State, said students receive regular reminders about safety.

“Whenever we go, we stay in a big group,” she said. “That’s probably how you avoid those situations. I feel safe.”

Russell Arroyo, a senior electrical engineering major, said women should take extra precaution.

“I think girls should walk in groups because, I mean, it’s hard to regulate the parties. The responsibility comes down to them and their friends,” he said.

“It does concern me to hear that. Guys see us as vulnerable, and they are always trying to do stuff to us,” Chavez said.

Senior aerospace engineering major Fazil Pendro said students would be safer partying downtown than at a house party.

“Once people are partying in the house, there is no security guard, no police. No one sees what they are doing,” Pendro said, adding that the incident gives male students a bad name.

“It’s scary and sad, even for guys, because people are looking at us in a bad way. We are supposed to be here to educate ourselves, not party and go wild,” he said.

Investigators are requesting that anyone with information about the incident contact the SDSU police department at (619) 594-1991 or email information to
police.mail@sdsu.edu. Those who want to remain anonymous can also contact Crime Stoppers at (619) 235-8477.